Mr Chair,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Allow me to begin by congratulating you, Mr Chair Ambassador Amorin, and the Bureau members, on your election to lead this session of the Second Committee.
It is my great honour to address this meeting today.
Mr Chair, Excellencies,
The world economy is facing severe headwinds amid weak growth prospects and heightened uncertainties. Global growth remains subdued.
A confluence of factors, including legacy effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; the protracted war in Ukraine; the catastrophic impact of climate change; and rapidly shifting macroeconomic conditions, have darkened the global outlook.
Stubbornly high inflation in both developed and developing countries has prompted the most aggressive interest rate hike cycle in decades, causing financial conditions to tighten and exacerbating debt vulnerabilities.
At the halfway point of the 2030 Agenda, we are definitely not halfway there in terms of implementation.
In fact, we are on track to achieve around 15% of the SDG targets.
It is against this global setting that the Second Committee must undertake its work.
This session is also taking place on the heels of the SDG Summit and the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development.
At the SDG Summit, world leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the 2030 Agenda and laid out a ¡®rescue plan¡¯ to achieve our global goals. They also recognized that the 1.5 degree target is still within reach, if we take action now.
Financing is the fuel that will drive progress on the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. We must mobilize financing at unprecedented scale and speed, to facilitate the massive investments in transformation that we urgently need.
Your deliberations in the Committee are important in addressing these long-standing challenges. As articulated by the Chair, a focused to-do list is in front of you.
There is broad agreement that the status quo is not sustainable, and the business as usual is not viable.
Announcements of new financing commitments and ambitious but achievable solutions for reforms are helping to move the needle.
Time is of the essence. I encourage you to forge new agreements and commitments to catalyze a much-needed push in SDG-aligned investment.
In addition, fully inclusive and more effective international tax cooperation can significantly support efforts to fight illicit financial flows, increase domestic resource mobilization, achieve the SDGs, and support climate action.
Excellencies,
Science and innovation hold great promise in shaping the transformations toward the future we want.
It will be important to scale up open science, promote technology transfer to developing countries, build capacity especially for young people, and bolster partnerships¡ªincluding public-private partnerships, South-South, North-South and triangular partnerships.
In this regard, we must honour our commitments to those countries and populations that are most vulnerable, including small island developing States, landlocked developing countries, least developed countries, and others.
Excellencies,
The outcomes of last week¡¯s SDG Summit left me with the impression that it is not too late to get the job done. Transformation is possible.
This Committee will play an important role in taking forward many of the outcomes that form part of your agenda.
This includes prioritizing those who are furthest behind. Addressing inequality, and eradicating poverty, are prerequisites to lasting progress across all SDGs.
It is my sincere hope that your work on sustainable development, on poverty, on global finance and debt, on science and technology, and on countries in special situations, will contribute to our global rescue plan, by informing policies that put us on the path to achieving the SDGs by 2030.
I am confident that this session will succeed in meeting its responsibilities.
We in DESA will continue to support your work.
I wish you every success in your deliberations.
Thank you.